After two decent, though unspectacular seasons, with UAE Team Emirates Dan Martin’s time at the squad looks like it is nearing an end after it announced the signing of Davide Formolo.
UAE Team Emirates has announced the news today and specified the Italian national champion is being brought in to lead at the Ardennes Classics.
Those races have been something of a speciality for Dan Martin and though he has not performed at his best in them over the past two seasons, he has continued to target them.
However, UAE Team Emirates general manager Joxean Matxin has today made it clear Formolo is joining the team as clear Ardennes Classics leader.
“Formolo will form an integral role in the fabric of our team,” Joxean Matxin said in a statement issued by the team.
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“Davide has great qualities and great potential. He has already achieved some good results in the Classics and in the general classification of stage races.
“And we are confident that he can reach even greater heights in the years to come.
“He will have the full support of the team for his objectives in the Ardennes Classics and beyond. ”
Formolo, now 26 years old, was 2nd at Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year when riding for Bora-hansgrohe; beaten to victory by Jakob Fuglsang of Astana.
Dan Martin took 5th in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2012,
winning it the following year and looking certain to win again in 2014 when he
crash on the last corner.
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He was also 2nd in the event in 2017 but was an
underwhelming 18th last year. He failed to finish this year after starting the
race coming back from illness.
He has yet to win La Flèche Wallonne but was 6th in 2012,
4th in 2013, 2nd in 2014, 3rd in 2016 and 2nd in 2017. He was 61st last year
and failed to finish this year.
With Formolo and a recovering Fabio Aru in the UAE Team Emirates squad for next year, it has hard to see where Martin would fit in.
It is not impossible he would stay on and target the Tour de France again, though that now looks unlikely.
Martin is in his second year of a two-year contract with UAE Team Emirates. He endured a difficult Tour de France with the team where he was well below his best.
He continued to say during the Tour that his form was good but added his power was tailing off later in stages.
His performances reflected that; characteristic and apparently strong aggression followed by very untypical fading later in stages.
After the race international news reports emerged about the team trialing a new drink at the race that caused the riders to retain fluid and gain weight.
There were also reports suggesting staff from the team were spotted buying service station sandwiches during long transfers.
Martin is now aged 32 years and while his tenure with UAE Team Emirates has not brought the results he hoped, he still won a stage of the Tour last year when he was 8th overall and most aggressive rider of the race.
He also claimed a stage win in last year’s Criterium du Dauphine and finished 4th overall in that race in 2018.
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